De'Aaron Fox's stretch of dominance proves a very scary Spurs truth

It always felt like De'Aaron Fox was hibernating this season. Sure, his numbers have been solid through the year, averaging 18.9 PPG on 48.6% shooting. These were good enough to land him his second All-Star appearance, but his statistics haven't popped off the charts, nor has he dominated Spurs headlines throughout the year.

But there's been a reason behind this, and it has nothing to do with him falling off and no longer being able to produce at a high level. It's been more strategic than anything, and it's led to the Spurs' success this season. Additionally, he has been finding his offensive groove as of late.

He's embodying San Antonio's unselfish culture

Heading into the year, talks about the Spurs' backcourt situation flooded NBA social media. The skepticism around the fit between Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper was real. The challenge was to prioritize the development of Castle and Harper while still allowing Fox the space to produce offensively. That's exactly why they extended him for four more years.

Fox mastered the art of sacrificing while still being a force for San Antonio. His 14.7 shot attempts per game this season are his lowest mark since 2019, but it gave room for Castle to grow as a lead playmaker and Harper to establish himself as an elite downhill driver as a rookie.

De'Aaron embodies San Antonio's key trait this season: unselfishness. He's just 28 years old and could be a 20+ PPG first option anywhere else, as he's demonstrated throughout his career. Look no further than 2023, where he led Sacramento to the playoffs.

Despite that, he's accepted his role, and that's been a driving factor behind San Antonio's dominance this year.

Fox is heating up at just the right time

Now, while De'Aaron's had no problem with taking a bit of a step back in his role on the offensive end, he is still finding some scoring rhythm in these last few games. The Spurs are in the midst of a tough stretch, including a three-game run against the Pistons, Clippers, and Rockets in a four-day span.

Through this stretch, Fox has been awesome. He's putting up 22.6 PPG on 54.5% shooting along with 7.5 APG. This includes a monster performance against the East's top-seeded Pistons, where he erupted for 29 points, draining 40% of his threes while piercing Detroit's interior.

Sacrificing is great, but when the game slows down in the postseason, Fox's experience and ability to create in the halfcourt will be important for San Antonio. Getting him going through this home stretch is the key to maintaining momentum going into the playoffs.

De'Aaron's buy-in has been imperative for the Spurs this year, and the results are showing. They've been devastating all year, picking apart the league's best teams. But waking him up offensively is going to be beneficial in the long term for them, and we've gotten a glimpse of that over the last few games.